Ram or pile driver



RAM OR PILE DRIVER Filed Oct. 20. 1965' J 7 7 f U s I041, 762 9 INVENTORS Manfred EMF/6 zfaf fi K /wber e r United States Patent 3,359,865 RAM 0R PILE DRIVER Manfred Burk, Magstadt, and Achim Kehrberger, Nellingen, Germany, assignors to Delmag-Maschinenfabrik Reinhold Dornfeld, Esslingen (Neckar), Germany Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,475 "Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 1, 1964,

6 Claims. (Cl. 91-358) ABSTRACT on THE DISCLOSURE Device for a ram or pile driver for actuating its control element, e.g. the actuating pin of a decompression valve, including a control lever which is pivotable in different directions from a central neutral position. The operative end surface of the lever may be attached to a stationary guide rail by way of a pivot pin or by the intermediary of a universal joint.

The present invention relates to improvements in a ram or pile driver, provided with a control element such as a mounting the control lever so as to be pivotable about a unrversal jointand by providing one end thereof with a substantially flat circular surface which extends substantially parallel to and engages upon a rail which extends in the direction of movement of the rammer and the control element thereon and is movable, against the action of at least one spring, at an angle to this direction of movement, against an actuating member of the control element when the control lever is being pivoted in any direction out of its neutral position.

While the control element of the rammer may thus be actuated by a pivoting movement of the control lever in any direction from its neutral position, it is for practical purposes usually sufiicient if the control lever is mounted so as to be pivotable in two opposite directions from its neutral position, so that the control element of the rammer may be actuated when the outer arm of the control lever is pushed or pulled from one side thereof or the other and the lever is thereby pivoted either in one direction or in the other. This preferred embodiment of the invention has the advantage of being very simple and inexpensive and very reliable in operation.

According to this last embodiment of the invention, the control lever is preferably substantially T-shaped similarly to a hammer and it is mounted so as to be pivota-ble about a fixed transverse axis extending through the hammer head or closely adjacent thereto, while the free outer side of the hammer head engages under spring pressure against the outer side of the rail.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment thereof, which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic partial side view of a ram or pile driver equipped with a control valve and a device for its actuation, according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a modified portion of FIG. 1, with a universal joint for the control lever of the inventive device.

3,359,865 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 As illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing, a rammer 2 of a ram or pile driver is slidable in the axial direction between and along a pair of rails 1 and 1' constituting guide means, and is provided with a control element in the form of a decompression valve 3 for stopping the operation of the rammer 2 when it is located in its lower end position. In this position, valve 3 is located opposite to a rail 4, as shown, which has a tapered cam surface 4' at its upper end so as to prevent the projecting end of an actuating member or pin 3a of the valve 3 from hitting against the upper end surface of the rail 1' during the downward movement of the rammer 2.

Near its opposite ends, rail 4 is connected to the guide rail 1' by a pair of screws 5, each of which extends through a connecting bearing member 6 on rail 1' and carries a compression spring 7 which acts at one end upon the head of screw 5 and at the other end upon the bearing member 6 and tends to maintain the rail 4 parallel'to and spaced from the rammer 2 and the path of movement thereof. Each screw 5 is surrounded and protected by a short piece of pipe 8 which is secured to the bearing member 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, guide rail 1' carries a pin 10 constituting pivot means for a pivotably mounted two-armed control lever 9. The latter is substantially T-shaped, similar to a hammer and has a head 11 which projects upwardly and downwardly from pin 10 and the end surface of which engages upon the rail 4. The free outer end of lever 9 carries a rope 12.

When this rope 12 is pulled in the downward direction, the control lever 9 is pivoted downwardly and the lower partof the head 11 is thereby pressed against the rail 4 which, in turn, is pressed, against the action of the springs 7, toward the actuating pin 3a of valve 3 so that the latter is opened.

If, however, rope 12 is pulled in the upward direction, the control lever 9 is pivoted in the same direction and 'the upper part of the head 11 then again presses the rail 4 against the action of springs .7 against the actuating pin 3a of valve 3 so as to open the latter. In order to pivot the control lever 9 either upwardly or downwardly, it is vertical to the longitudinal axis of lever 9, as long as this direction extends genenally either upwardly or downwardly, it may extend at various angles to this vertical direction.

FIG. 2 shows a modified portion of the inventive device and the described control lever thereof. If the end surface of the head "11 is made with a circular shape and rail 4 is made of a width at least equal to the diameter of this end surface, or if at the side facing the head 11 a narrow rail is provided with a plate of a suitable width, and if instead of forming a pivot pin, like that shown in FIG. 1 at 10, conventional elements form a universal joint 10a, constituting another form of pivot means, so that the control lever 9 is pivotable in any direction, the desired action by the head 11 upon rail 4 and through the latter upon the actuating pin 3a of the valve may be attained if the rope 12 is pulled in any direction, and even vertically to the plane of the drawing, provided this direction extends at a sufficiently large angle to the longitudinal axis of control lever 9. As soon as rope 12 is released, rail 4 and lever 9 are returned to their neutral positions, as illustrated in the drawing, by the action of springs 7.

Although our invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, we wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed our invention, what We claim is: v

1. In a ram having a rammer movable in its longitudinal direction of movement, fixed guide means for guiding said rammer at least during a part of said movement, and a control element connected to and movable with said rammer for controlling the operation thereof, said control element having an actuating member movable in a direction substantially at right angles to said longitudinal direction of movement and projecting laterally from the peripheral surface of said rammer, the improvement comprising a control lever pivotably mounted on said guide means and having two arms and an end surface on one of said arms located within a plane extending at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the other arm of said lever, a connecting member intermediate said end surface and said actuating member, resilient means connecting said connecting member to said guide means and pressing said connecting member toward said end surface and thereby tending to maintain said control lever in a neutral position in which said end surface is in full engagement with a surface area of said connecting member of a corresponding size, and pivot means for mounting said control lever on said guide means so as to be pivotable in different directions from said neutral position when a force is exerted upon said other arm of said lever in a direction extending at an angle to said longitudinal axis of the other arm, whereby when said lever is pivoted out of said neutral position against the action of said resilient means, said end surface is tilted relative to said connecting member and thereby exerts a leverage upon the latter so that said connecting member is pressed against said actuating member and thereby depresses the same.

2. A ram as defined in claim 1, in which said end surface is fiat and circular and said pivot means comprise a universal joint connecting said control lever to said guide means so as to permit said lever to be pivoted in any direction from said neutral position and said leverage also to be exerted by said circular end surface in any direction upon said connecting member.

3. A ram as defined in claim 1, in which said control lever is substantially T-shaped, the crossbar of said T forming said one arm of the lever facing said connecting member, at least a part of each half of said crossbar engaging upon said connecting member when said lever is in said neutral position, said pivot means having an axis extending at right angles to said longitudinal axis of the other arm so as to permit said lever to be pivoted upwardly and downwardly when said force is exerted from different directions upon said other arm.

4. A ram as defined in claim 1, in which said guide means comprise a rail-like guide member extending in said longitudinal direction of movement of the rammer and at one side thereof, said connecting member forming a rail extending along and parallel to said guide member, with bearing projections on one side thereof, said resilient means comprising at least two screws having smooth shanks, a head on one end of each shank, and a threaded part on the other end, screwed into said rail, said shanks extending through and being slidably guided within transverse bores in the respective bearing projections, and an outer part of each shank projecting toward the outside of said bearing projections, and a compression spring carried by each outer shank part and its opposite ends bearing upon said heads and said bearing projections, and thereby drawing said rail into resilient engagement with said end surface of the control lever.

5. A ram as defined in claim 4, in which the upper part of said rail is tapered toward its free end at the side thereof facing said longitudinal direction of movement of the rammer so as to prevent said actuating member from hitting against said free end when said rammer moves downwardly.

6. A ram as defined in claim 4, further comprising a tubular member secured to each of said bearing projections and surrounding the outer part of said screw for protecting the same.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,394,862 =10/1921 Reno 74-491 1,610,683 12/1926 Kellan 74-99 1,682,530 6/ 1927 Beaston 74-479 X 2,295,880 9/ 1942 Valois et a1. 91229 X 2,448,459 8/1948 Palm 91-229 X 2,789,545 4/1957 Dolza et a1. 91229 X 2,831,461 4/1958 Kupka 91-343 X 3,200,907 8/1965 Hansen 7499 X FRED C. MATTERN, 111., Primary Examiner.

C. F. GREEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A RAM HAVING A RAMMER MOVABLE IN ITS LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT, FIXED GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID RAMMER AT LEAST DURING A PART OF SAID MOVEMENT, AND A CONTROL ELEMENT CONNECTED TO AND MOVABLE WITH SAID RAMMER FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION THEREOF, SAID CONTROL ELEMENT HAVING AN ACTUATING MEMBER MOVABLE IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID LONGITUDINA DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT AND PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID RAMMER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A CONTROL LEVER PIVOTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID GUIDE MEANS AND HAVING TWO ARMS AND AN END SURFACE ON ONE OF SAID ARMS LOCATED WITHIN A PLANE EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE OTHER ARM OF SAID LEVER, A CONNECTING MEMBER INTERMEDIATE SAID END SURFACE AND SAID ACTUATING MEMBER, RESILIENT MEANS CONNECTING SAID CONNECTING MEMBER TO SAID GUIDE MEANS AND PRESSING SAID CONNECTING MEMBER TOWARD SAID END SURFACE AND THEREBY TENDING TO MAINTAIN SAID CONTROL LEGER IN A NEUTRAL POSITION IN WHICH SAID END SURFACE IS IN FULL ENGAGMENT WITH A SURFACE AREA OF SAID CONNECTING MEMBER OF A CORRESPONDING SIZE, AND PIVOT MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID CONTROL LEVER ON SAID GUIDE MEANS SO AS TO BE PIVOTABLE IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS FROM SAID NEUTRAL POSITION WHEN A FORCE IS EXERTED UPON SAID OTHER ARM OF SAID LEVER IN A DIRECTION EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE OTHER ARM, WHEREBY WHEN SAID LEVER IS PIVOTED OUT OF SAID NEUTRAL POSITION AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS, SAID END SURFACE IS TILTED RELATIVE TO SAID CONNECTING MEMBER AND THEREBY EXERTS A LEVERAGE UPON THE LATTER SO THAT SAID CONNECTING MEMBER IS PRESSED AGAINST SAID ACTUATING MEMBER AND THEREBY DEPRESSED THE SAME. 